The Hunt Dedicated To Kin
by Yahiko Craze
Summary: Love. Affection. Comfort. Those were the emotions of grandfather and grand child, but what will be of Yahiko when all that is taken away from him? Revenge.
1. The wheels of fate begin to turn

Leah and Bryan  
  
Hunt Dedicated to Kin  
  
Under the bright light of the full moon, a young boy sat in his house. His sword reflected the moonlight in the quiet darkness of the night. He always loved his sword because his parents gave it to him when he was really young. Even though he never had a chance to use it, he always felt safer when it was with him.  
  
His grandfather was sitting inside the house, resting after a long day. He was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open and was beginning to fall asleep. Krutu was still outside in the open air when suddenly; he heard a loud bang from inside the house. He jumped up immediately, and thought about the only other person in the house. He was afraid that his grandfather hurt himself, as he often did, because of his old age. Yahiko ran inside as fast as he could to see what made the loud sound. He looked around the room and just then, a horrified look came over his face. Surrounded by shattered glass from the broken window, was Yahiko's grandfather, lying face down on the floor. The whole floor was stained red by the warm blood of the dead man. Yahiko was very scared because he didn't know if the person who killed his grandfather was still there in the house. Tears trickled down his face and blurred his vision as he wept in terrible agony.  
  
He had to think fast to save himself. With his sword still in his hand, he stuck it out to defend himself. He listened for the movements of the murderer and could hear the tinkling of money nearby in the other room. He knew that the murderer wanted to seal their money. Yahiko couldn't believe what was happening, but he knew he had to act quickly. He could hear the thief's footsteps heading toward the back door, so he followed as fast as he could. Suddenly, Yahiko didn't feel so scared anymore. He wanted to get his revenge, although he knew at the same time, that there was a very dangerous man in his house. He turned around and managed to get a glimpse of the man's hand.  
  
Tattooed with the blackest ink, the outline of a dragon appeared on the thief's hand. Yahiko seared the image of the dragon in this mind, so that he would never forget it. He ran out the door and chased the man down the poorly lit streets. He could hear the footsteps of the man right ahead of him. He could only see the man's shadow cast by, but still didn't know how far he could keep chasing for. Just when Yahiko thought he was gaining up on the man, he blinked and the man was out of sight. Yahiko was confused, but kept running up until he hit the spot where the man seemed to vanish. There was a hidden alleyway just at that spot. Yahiko knew that the thief's tricks weren't good enough to let him get away. He turned the corner sharply and just as he looked up to regain his balance, he saw a horrible sight. There was a dead man at his feet, slain by a dark figure in the shadows.  
  
Immediately, Yahiko started running the other way, scared that he had run into someone even more dangerous than the thief. He held up his sword, while his heart pounded in his chest and beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks. Despite the darkness of the alley, Yahiko's sword still shone brightly and reflected the moonlight onto another man's sword. The bloody sword was not in the position to fight, however. It was down, by the side of a man who stood up and walked very slowly and carefully toward the frightened boy. 


	2. Mysterous Man

"Do not be afraid, I won't hurt you," he said. These words didn't make Yahiko feel any safer, because his parents told him never to trust people who said that sort of thing. He clearly saw it as a trap.  
  
"Prove it! How do I know you're telling the truth?!" He replied. The man threw his sword away and revealed his face to the boy. He had long, black hair, tied back in a ponytail. He had strong features, but not a mean face. Yahiko could notice traces of fresh blood on his face. His eyes were kind and looked directly toward the young boy.  
  
"I'm here to help you. I know who killed your grandfather," said the man. Suddenly, Yahiko didn't feel so afraid. He realized that he really didn't have anyone else to turn to. Maybe this man could help him out.  
  
"I'm listening." he replied.  
  
"I just traveled all the way here from a secret place. We are in trouble. There is a secret club in underground Japan that is doing evil things to good people like your grandfather," he explained.  
  
Yahiko was interested, he asked, "Why is there blood on your face?"  
  
The man explained, "Well, my boy, I was just in a bloody fight with one of the members. I saw him attacking a high positioned man. He was one of our leaders. Unfortunately, I came too late, and the victim was slaughtered before I could help him. However, I managed to catch him and take him down. I demanded that he tell me where his leader was, but before I could get any answers, he grabbed his sword and slit his throat. This was obviously an act of honour to his master. The main thing is: I know this leader is the root of the evil going on in this town. We must find him or all of Japan will be in great danger!"  
  
At that moment, Yahiko realized that he could trust this man, but first he had to know his name. "What is your name?" he asked.  
  
"My apologies, my name is Kenshin Himura, master blacksmith, from the famous Himura family. As you may have heard, that name has an interesting history. Many years ago, my grandfather lived as the most skilled blacksmith and sword maker in the land. Sadly, he was killed by the evil underground society because he didn't follow their demands. They wanted him to craft weapons for them, to kill innocent people like your grandfather. He refused, and as a result, he was destroyed at their hands. Now he is gone forever and lived too short of a life.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that. I know what it feels like. Let me introduce myself. My name is Yahiko Futiga. I have lived with my grandfather since I was 7 years old. Before then, I head a nice family life with my two parents, until one terrible day, they were suddenly murdered. I really miss them. Now I'm all by myself and I have no one really to turn to."  
  
Kenshin comforted him by saying: "Well, you can trust me. There's a lot you don't know. I will help you find the answers. Come with me to my house. You've been through a lot today." 


End file.
